A Brief Synopsis of Our Involvement
Missions for Christ has for the last two years been involved in mission work in the Central American nation of Honduras. In 1999 our major concern was aiding the relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever hit that region. In 2000, we were focused less on humanitarian concerns, although we were involved in some relief efforts. However our primary focus was spreading the Gospel of Christ to a people hungry for truth. We spent a significant amount of time with local congregations and in the local schools in the area in and around Trujillo. Listed below are some facts about Hurricane Mitch and its effect on the region. You will also find some information about the mission efforts of 2000.
Aside from our efforts in Honduras, plans are now underway to visit East Africa. We expect to focus primarily on evangelism during this visit. Looking ahead to the future, it is our hope that we can become involved in other worthwhile efforts all over the globe. We pray that we can continue to foster student interest in missions by these short campaigns. Perhaps there will be future missionaries who get their start by being involved in these short term works.
Number of People with Homes Destroyed and in Shelters - Honduras |
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Number of People Dead: 7,000 |
Provinces |
Homes Destroyed |
In Shelters |
| Atlandida | 120,516 |
8,000 |
|
| Colon | 96,279 |
25,000 |
|
Number of People Missing: 12,000 |
Comayagua | 71,171 |
5,000 |
| Copan | 96,086 |
1,054 |
|
| Cortes | 381,716 |
116,686 |
|
| Choluteca | 92,647 |
136,500 |
|
| El Paraiso | 85,275 |
6,000 |
|
Number of People with Homes Destroyed: 1,960,000 |
Fco. Morazan | 404,225 |
22,429 |
| Gracias a Dios | 10,638 |
5,000 |
|
| Intibuca | 46,015 |
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| Islas de la Bahia | 11,665 |
10,000 |
|
| La Paz | 32,960 |
1,000 |
|
Number of Evacuees 2,127,480 |
Lempira | 85,819 |
|
| Ocotepeque | 32,842 |
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| Olancho | 80,099 |
10,000 |
|
| Santa Barbara | 106,307 |
14,193 |
|
Number of People Injured: 11,762 |
Valle | 46,602 |
3,500 |
| Yoro | 131,620 |
62,776 |
|
| Total | 1,932,482 |
427,138 |
|
Evangelism Efforts
As with any Christian mission effort, the goal is not simply to fulfill physical needs, i.e. Food, Shelter, Clothing, but to also fulfill spiritual needs. During our second trip to Honduras, we spent more time focused on the latter. We visited schools and taught lessons adapted from the Character Counts curriculum. We held meetings in the local congregations and in some of the outlying areas where we were building homes. We were involved in Christian medical clinics where people from the community could come and be treated for free. We used this opportunity to share a little of the Good News with these people.